Word started brewing early last week that something exciting was percolating over at Heartland Bank Ambassador Greg Ubert’s Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea. The headline in Columbus Business First read, “America's top coffee roaster is from Columbus”. ThisWeek community newspaper’s headline read ‘Crimson Cup gets Toast from Roast’. Both publications announced that Roast Magazine (the trusted source of information on the art, science and business of coffee) had just named Columbus-based Crimson Cup as the 2016 Macro Roaster of the Year.

Owner Malika Jacobs opened Kingmakers in January of 2014 and her 80 seat ‘basement lounge’ on Buttles Avenue is in the heart of Columbus’ Short North arts district. A board game parlour at its core, Kingmakers is also a hip, trendy gathering spot for suburbanites, yuppies, downtown dwellers, millennials, families and more. During non-business hours, the space is available for holiday parties, corporate and private events. Her space offers not only a wide selection of games and tables on which to play, but a menu of fine beers, wines, soft drinks and snacks.

Just a little over five years ago, references to “craft beer” might have needed some explanation. Today, the craft beer business is booming in Columbus and throughout the United States and the industry needs very little clarification. In a 2013 study by the Brewer’s Association, a not-for-profit trade group representing small and independent craft brewers, Ohio’s craft beer industry was named the fourth largest producer in the country, crafting more than one million barrels. Locally, there are more than a dozen breweries inside the I-270 beltway and even more on the way. Looking out farther into the Zanesville, Lancaster, Newark, Delaware and Mansfield areas, the number of operational breweries in central Ohio totals closer to 25. Driving Columbus’ ascension in the exploding craft brew industry is brewmaster, Eric Bean. 

The latest in agricultural equipment and farming methods will be showcased at the 2015 Farm Science Review, sponsored by the College of Food, Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University, and held on September 22-23-24 at the 2,100 acre Molly Caren Agricultural Center, near London, Ohio. In addition to harvesters and combines, you’ll see tillage equipment, grain bins, feed processing equipment and more. Want to learn about Urban Agriculture? Or how to cover crops to improve nutrient efficiency? Or Integrated Pest Management? If you’re an aspiring craft brewer, you can even learn about Hops Production in Ohio. There’s even harvesting, strip-tilling, global positioning, planting, manure and tillage demonstrations taking place all week. Catch all the excitement and join us at Farm Science Review (FSR)!

The relationship between Burton Metal Finishing and Heartland Bank was established when the company was founded 28 years ago, long before the fire that ravaged their manufacturing facility on October 4, 2013. In the previous year, the bank worked alongside the Burton family to deepen that relationship and assist with revitalizing their struggling business. The revival began when the family (President Dan Burton, VP Scott Burton and CFO Victoria Burton) wanted to deepen that relationship and assist with revitalizing their struggling business. The revival began, when the family, like so many other small business owners across the country, sought financial help from their local bank. At that time, Heartland suggested that the family work directly with FocusCFO, a local financial consulting and management firm, to help make improvements in areas such as efficiency and leadership. After evaluating the business, FocusCFO made suggestions that would improve cash flow, operations, internal accounting and revenue. With the help of this group, Burton Metal Finishing began a rise toward success.